BUBBLE METER: Six signs of a new bubble

Welcome to the bubble meter, a new feature of this blog which I introduced in today’s column.

What I am looking for are anecdotes that may signal the formation of a new Internet bubble. Feel free to add your observations in the comments section. As I stumble across new items, I will post them on the blog. To help everyone get started, here are six that I came up with:

Online advertising giant aQuantive hires a flatbed truck to drive around Seattle touting a Web site where onlookers can go to research 200 job openings. The trailer also includes a replica office — outfitted with a desk and functional phone lines and computers — where employees spread the word about the company.

The May issue of Business 2.0 — while not a half-inch thick like the tech magazines of the late ’90s — features a cover story headlined “The Next Job Boom.”

Mainstream magazines, such as Newsweek and Fortune, also write cover stories about the consumer Internet craze.

Venture capitalists triple their investments in Washington companies in the first quarter, with some valuations scaring off more conservative investors.

New public relations firms — touting rosters of new technology clients — emerge.

As I point out in today’s column, this bubble is very different from what occured in the late 90s. Still, there are some warning signs out there. Hopefully, these examples will get you thinking of others.

BUBBLE METER: Six signs of a new bubble

Welcome to the bubble meter, a new feature of this blog which I introduced in today’s column.

What I am looking for are anecdotes that may signal the formation of a new Internet bubble. Feel free to add your observations in the comments section. As I stumble across new items, I will post them on the blog. To help everyone get started, here are six that I came up with:

Online advertising giant aQuantive hires a flatbed truck to drive around Seattle touting a Web site where onlookers can go to research 200 job openings. The trailer also includes a replica office — outfitted with a desk and functional phone lines and computers — where employees spread the word about the company.

The May issue of Business 2.0 — while not a half-inch thick like the tech magazines of the late ’90s — features a cover story headlined “The Next Job Boom.”

Mainstream magazines, such as Newsweek and Fortune, also write cover stories about the consumer Internet craze.

Venture capitalists triple their investments in Washington companies in the first quarter, with some valuations scaring off more conservative investors.

New public relations firms — touting rosters of new technology clients — emerge.

As I point out in today’s column, this bubble is very different from what occured in the late 90s. Still, there are some warning signs out there. Hopefully, these examples will get you thinking of others.